1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile electronic device comprising a sapphire cover plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many types of mobile electronic devices currently available which include a display window assembly that is at least partially transparent. These include, for example, handheld electronic devices such media players, mobile telephones (cell phones), personal data assistants (PDAs), pagers, tablets, and laptop computers and notebooks. The display screen assembly may include multiple component layers, such as, for example, a visual display layer such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touch sensitive layer for user input, and at least one outer cover layer used to protect the visual display. Each of these layers are typically laminated or bonded together.
Many of the mobile electronic devices used today are subjected to excessive mechanical and/or chemical damage, particularly from careless handling and/or dropping, from contact of the screen with items such as keys in a user's pocket or purse, or from frequent touch screen usage. For example, the touch screen interfaces of smartphones and PDAs can become damaged by abrasions that scratch and pit the physical user interface, and these imperfections can act as stress concentration sites making the screen and/or underlying components more susceptible to fracture in the event of mechanical or other shock. Additionally, oil from the use's skin or other debris can coat the surface and may further facilitate the degradation of the device. Such abrasion and chemical action can cause a reduction in the visual clarity of the underlying electronic display components, thus potentially impeding the use and enjoyment of the device and limiting its lifetime.
Various methods and materials have been used in order to increase the durability of the display windows of mobile electronic devices. For example, polymeric coatings or layers can be applied to the touch screen surface in order to provide a barrier against degradation. However, such layers can interfere with the visual clarity of the underlying electronic display as well as interfere with the touch screen sensitivity. Furthermore, as the coating materials are often also soft, they can themselves become easily damaged, requiring periodic replacement or limiting the lifetime of the device.
Another common approach is to use more highly chemically and scratch resistant materials as the outer surface of the display window. For example, touch sensitive screens of some mobile devices may include a layer of chemically-strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass with potassium ions replacing sodium ions for enhanced hardness, such as the material referred to as “gorilla glass” available from Corning. However, even this type of glass can become scratched by many harder materials, including metal keys, sand, and pebbles, and, further, as a glass, is prone to brittle failure and shattering. Sapphire has also been suggested and used as a material for either the outer layer of the display assembly or as a separate protective sheet to be applied over the display window. However, sapphire is relatively expensive and typically contains imperfections and impurities that can act as sites for light scatter, reflection, and light transmission losses, thereby interfering with the display feature of the device and reducing the quality of the viewed image.
Thus, while materials are available which can enable the display of a mobile electronic device to be relatively resistant to damage, there remains a need in the industry for materials and methods for providing improved mechanical toughness and scratch resistance without reducing transmittance.